Biography
I earned my BS degree from Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. I then worked at NIMH in the CBDB with Dr. Barbara Lipska on a rodent model of Schizophrenia as a pre-doctoral IRTA. I obtained both my master's degree and PhD from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in Developmental, Cellular, and Molecular Biology with Dr. Mariann Blum and Dr. James L. Roberts. I completed my post-doctoral training with Dr. Christine Schmidt at the University of Texas at Austin, examining natural-based polymers for central nervous system applications. I then moved to the University of Washington in Seattle and joined Dr. Christoph Hofstetter's lab as a junior faculty member in the Department of Neurosurgery. I was promoted to Associate Professor at UW in 2024. I joined the University of Louisville as a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology and a member of the Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center in June of 2025.
Research Interests
Neural Regeneration and Repair Laboratory
Modern neuroscience research requires an interdisciplinary approach, and our lab combines fundamental neuroscience with cutting-edge technologies to tackle fundamental and impactful questions in developing novel approaches for repairing and regenerating the adult mammalian central nervous system. My research interests are in the areas of plasticity and regeneration of the adult and aging mammalian spinal cord. Our research program is aimed at discovering novel aspects of the acute pathophysiology of the injured spinal cord and leveraging that knowledge to develop new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for CNS injuries.
Our lab also develops smart biomaterials that can enhance neural plasticity, modify neuroinflammation, and augment regeneration and repair after injury to the CNS.
Research Labs
Degrees and Certifications
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, , -